Not being one to carry a grudge, and understanding that all human beings are plagued by strange foibles and flaws, Selectman Lauretano did bring doughnuts for the Town Hall employees on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The employees ate them all, as usual.
I cannot help but wonder whatever possessed them to submit their “Statement” to the Lakeville Journal not only with their signatures, but their public official titles indicated. For a group that so desperately seems to desire anonymity and not to be involved politically, they acted precisely so as to bring about the exact opposite result. Perhaps it is just as well since it presents me with the opportunity to explain a little piece of reality to them.
They are not simply employees. They are public employees. Not only are they public employees, but most of them are important public officials, with legal municipal responsibilities bearing upon the proper functioning of Salisbury’s town administration and the welfare of our townspeople. The Town Clerk and Asst. Clerk, Assessor and Asst. Assessor, Tax Collector, Recreation Director, Dir. Senior Services, Recreation Director, Town Grove Manager are all very public and official positions. As a result they are considered to be public figures, subject to public scrutiny and criticism by individuals and the media, which have almost total legal carte blanche to question and criticize them with impunity.
The nine employees that signed Rachel Lamb’s Manifesto, (aka the Statement) may also be deemed to have deliberately sought out notoriety in their official capacities since they included their public job titles with their signatures. They fall under the Celebrity exemption in libel and slander law. Something tells me that they have never realized their unique status and that they imagined they were private individuals in private employment, actually protected by slander and libel laws. No such thing ladies and gentlemen, you are public figures with little to no legal protections. Welcome to the club of perfect targets.
On top of all that, the nine signatories to the Manifesto, did not have the common sense to make sure they had their facts straight as they merrily engaged in the AFSCME Union and Democratic Town Committee’s smear campaign against Selectman Mark Lauretano. A man who has never done anything to harm, frighten or intimidate them, always treating them with kindness, courtesy and respect.
They relied on their inter-office gossip, antipathy to a draft COE still being developed and not much different from the one Vail and Morrill are proposing (in which, by the way, only Selectmen are exempt from any investigations and enforcement), flawed memories and the assumption that no one would possess any documentation or the intelligence to effectively respond to their character assassination effort. As a result they all made fools of themselves, the town offices they hold and of the complicit Lakeville Journal. Oops.
One can only wonder which among them may have not really wanted to sign on to Rachel Lamb’s Statement but were intimidated. Intimidated not only by pressure from their fellow union members and colleagues, but also the lurking presence of Curtis Rand and Jim Dresser, who might interpret their refusal to sign as an indication of betrayal of them. We will never know since they all have clearly tucked themselves like nine peas into the same pod.
Feb 21, 2013 @ 14:31:48
So true, what you said about them all being afraid. I have to say moving to this town is like thinking you’re going to go to collage at RISDI only to find out somehow you’re at Halliburton and Dick Cheney is the president! It is full on corrupt over there. You can’t do anything in there without everyone checking to see why you’re there. I’ve even gotten tips from a few of them with the side to side glance followed by “you didn’t hear it from me though”. They could have all gotten together and blown this BS corrupt scene out of the water but they are all petty and corrupt. It is sick and if ever a town needed a board of ethics it’s one with a little dictator in charge. I’m not a Republican either, lol! This town hall is nuts!
Feb 22, 2013 @ 10:12:29
You are not the only member of the Unaffiliated voters or Democratic party members to have noticed the situation and ambiance at Town Hall. The scurrying about to raise the alarm regarding who has walked into the building and gone to which office is notorious. And if they are not running down the hall to make a report to the First Selectman or each other, they are picking up the phone to put him on alert or spread the news to anyone else who will listen. Bunch of silly nonsense and it makes more than just a few citizens extremely uncomfortable, to the point of not feeling welcome or safe while there.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 08:57:14
I’m not a Salisbury resident but have following the political bashing in your town.
I believe much of the problem stems from the fact that Mr. Lauretano believes he has authority which he does not. The Selectmen have no more authority than other elected officials in town. The First Selectman being the exception. While Mr. Lauretano had the right to send employees/officials letters he does not have the authority to order them to do anything. No more than the Chairman of any town board has the authority to instruct/order etc any other elected, appointed, or employed person. Mr. Lauretano’s position is primarily of legislative nature. Mr. Rand is the Chief Executive Officer and Mr. Lauretano should go through him when a problem arises with employees. I think Mr. Lauretano would be equally upset if other elected or employed persons sent him a letter directing him to do such and such.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 10:06:15
The legislative body of the Town is the town meeting or referendum vote in rejecting or passing ordinances. The selectmen all have an administrative responsibility to the employees in terms at least of assuring their well-being. Any selectman would be irresponsible to ignore knowledge of anyone abusing employees. Of course the information would be immediately reported to Curtis Rand as the Executive with direct supervisory control over the employees, so that he could take whatever action he deemed necessary to protect the employees from abuse. There is nothing in Selectman Lauretano’s communication to the employees other than a recognition of a demonstrable problem and his assurance that if they are abused he will listen to them and see to it the problem is appropriately dealt with. Any assumption that he is ordering anyone around is an unjustified leap. No one has to do anything or tell him anything, he simply conveyed his concern and willingness to be of service to them if they are being bullied. He has consistently gone through Curtis Rand in matters related to the employees and has never said or done anything to harm them. That anyone construes an offer of concern and assistance as being ordered around shows a singular lack of understanding of the English language and inability to rationally comprehend normal communication. I understand the employees have never received written communications from selectmen before – which is very unfortunate and sad. It is common in most work places and not a cause for alarm. Perhaps the novelty of it was unsettling. The whole hysterical, irrational frenzy is a bore and everyone needs to chill out.
Feb 22, 2013 @ 14:02:09
JR
Not being a town resident it is something you might not know but what Rand can and cant do by legal right has nothing to do with what he does do and not do. You obviously have NO IDEA. He is so corrupt you have no idea. He has others in other positions do his dirty work and he in turn watches out for them. There are more cases of this than I can to type.